Happy 61st birthday to Dave Stewart

Happy 61st birthday to Arizona Diamondbacks General Manager Dave Stewart, who threw a no-hitter for the Oakland Athletics in 1990.

On Friday, June 29, 1990, Stewart no-hit the Toronto Blue Jays for a 5-0 victory at the SkyDome. Hours later and thousands of miles away, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Fernando Valenzuela no-hit the St. Louis Cardinals for a 6-0 win at Dodger Stadium.

The games marked only the second time that no-hitters were thrown on the same day. The other two were back in 1898:

Author: Dirk Lammers

Dirk Lammers is a veteran journalist who began rooting for the New York Mets in the early-1970s when the team’s no no-hitter count was barely 2,000 games old. Lammers has since turned his research into Baseball’s No-Hit Wonders: More Than a Century of Pitching’s Greatest Feats (Unbridled Books).

“I do think you have a winning idea. This is a book that should sell. Bo Belinsky was my favorite, followed by Don Larsen, and the only one I saw in person, Bob Forsch.”

W.P. KinsellaAuthor of Shoeless Joe, adapted into "Field of Dreams"

“Like the book’s subject, Baseball’s No-Hit Wonders is full of intrigue, suspense and just enough random good fortune to go down in history. In revisiting the unforgettable and revealing the forgotten, Dirk Lammers deals a quirky treasure for baseball lovers.”

Jon SpringerAuthor of Mets by the Numbers

“Never have so many no-nos inspired such resounding yes-yeses! A baseball research book with a sense of humor—novel concept.”

“This volume is the complete – and I mean fully complete – story of the no-hit games in the long history of Major league Baseball, and it will serve as the place to look if one wonders why baseball makes such a big deal of no-hit games. With prodigious research, Lammers has produced not just the bare bones of each no-hit game but adds to each game story the little and telling details that are so alluring.”

Fay VincentFormer MLB commissioner, foreword writer

“… a fascinating book that will appeal to both the historian and the die-hard fan.”

Jeff AyersThe Associated Press

“In “Baseball’s No-Hit Wonders,” Lammers takes a topic that might seem narrowly focused and opens it up with all sorts of interesting angles.”

Ross AtkinsChristian Science Monitor

“I loved reading about all of the no-hitters. There are a lot of things that I had no idea about, like “Hooks” Wiltse also losing his perfect game in the ninth inning but saving his no-hitter. Even if you do not know anything about baseball, this is a great book about the great history of the game.”

Milt PappasMLB pitcher 1957-1973 ('72 no-no)

“It’s fantastic. My kinda baseball book. Just the right combo of pure stats, information, obscure history and incisive commentary. I know I’ll be going back to it often for reference (and, hey, maybe a song or 2!).”

Steve WynnMusician, The Baseball Project, The Dream Syndicate

“… delightfully written … story after fascinating story about the most compelling characters and unlikely events.”

Matt SutherlandForeword Reviews ★★★★★

“… an exuberant romp through the history of one of baseball’s most impressive achievements.”

Paul HagenMLB.com

“As an official scorer, I’m aware of the tension and drama when a pitcher takes a no-hitter into the later innings. In Baseball’s No-Hit Wonders, Dirk Lammers has captured this drama and added to it with insights and analysis for those who achieved this honor. Mixed in with fun facts about more than 100 years of no-hitters, Baseball’s No-Hit Wonders is entertaining and enlightening.”

Stew ThornleyMLB Official Scorer for Minnesota Twins games

Most recent no-nos

There have been 299 no-hitters in MLB history, with the last thrown 8 months,13 days ago.